Updates » Updates » November 21: Ongoing updates on the situation in Gaza: Activity at the crossings and tunnels, prices and shortages

November 21: Ongoing updates on the situation in Gaza: Activity at the crossings and tunnels, prices and shortages

Updates for November 21, 2012 as of 17:30pm
*Information will be updated as it becomes available

Fuel and electricity shortages in Gaza
Efforts are being made to facilitate transfer of diesel for the Gaza Power Plant via Kerem Shalom Crossing. Due to airstrikes in the area of the tunnels on the border between Gaza and Egypt, no fuel entered Gaza via the tunnels today. The power plant has no fuel in its reserves and if fuel is not transferred, the plant is expected to shut down operations within less than 48 hours.

Electricity outages have reached an average of 12 hours per day. Damage caused to electric infrastructure by bombardments has exacerbated the shortages of electricity and lengthened outages in certain areas. Two lines supplying 24 megawatts by Israel were also damaged. One of them, supplying 12 MW, reaches the northern area of the Gaza Strip, home to 300,000 people. It was repaired in the morning and then afterwards, aerial strikes again damaged the line. The line supplying Khan Younis has not been repaired since Friday. Efforts are being made to coordinate with Israel so that a team can reach the site of the damage near the border area and repair the line. The damage caused to this line is impacting 40% of the residents of the Khan Younis area.

In addition, a line supplying the Rafah area with 10 MW from Egypt also fell but was repaired within hours. Currently, the Gaza Power Plant is partially operating two turbines to produce 35 MW, which amounts to about 20% of the total supply of electricity available in Gaza.

Erez
Today 31 foreign nationals exited the Strip via Erez, as did 16 medical patients and their companions, 8 Palestinian citizens of Israel, and two individuals crossing to the West Bank.

Updates for November 21, 2012 as of 16pm

Erez
Five truckloads of medicine are currently entering Gaza via Erez Crossing

Updates for November 21, 2012 as of 12pm

Kerem Shalom*Please note that Gisha counts Palestinian truckloads, which can, in general, accommodate larger quantities than Israeli trucks arriving to Kerem Shalom. This explains the discrepancy between our data and that provided by others.
Although Kerem Shalom was supposed to open today, Israel notified this morning that the crossing would not be opened.